Wellesley, MA (PRWEB) March 19, 2010 -- The FDA announced this week that it has added a black box warning to Plavix (clopidogrel), a widely used blood thinner and anti-clotting drug, because it may cause excessive bleeding, heart attacks, unstable angina, strokes, and cardiovascular death in those patients who are not able to fully metabolize the drug. Plavix, Bristol-Myers’ best selling drug with over 90 million users worldwide, is only effective when the liver metabolizes the drug to convert it into its active form, making platelets less likely to form blood clots.

“While it’s about time the FDA put this severe safety warning on this product, the simple question remains for consumers of Plavix, how do they know if this treatment isn’t effective for them? Do they have to suffer a heart attack to learn that they aren’t metabolizing the drug?” says James Sokolove, Chairman of Sokolove Law, one of the nation’s largest marketers of legal services.

For some patients, their liver has a decreased functioning of their CYP2C19 liver enzyme which means Plavix cannot be metabolized to its active form, reducing its effectiveness. The FDA is recommending that health care professionals consider alternative treatments for patients who are poor metabolizers and are taking Plavix.

“The FDA just slapped its most severe warning on one of the most popular and widely used drugs in the world,” says Sokolove. “This is a giant red flag! Safety isn’t in the hands of pharmaceutical companies or even health care practitioners anymore. It’s up to the consumers to look out for their own safety; to be proactive and ask the right questions before they start swallowing pills.”

To find out more information about Plavix, or to learn more about your legal rights, visit the Sokolove Law website here or call 1-800-275-0192.

About Sokolove LawFor nearly 30 years, Sokolove Law (www.sokolovelaw.com ) has reinvented how people obtain legal services. Our mission is to provide equal access to the civil justice system while ensuring superior quality legal representation. As a pioneer in legal advertising, Sokolove Law has grown to be the largest marketer of legal services in the country. Our proven business model matches particular client needs to the more than 400 law firms that we work with. The result is success for our clients and co-counsel. Sokolove Law operates as a limited liability company in all states except Virginia, California, Michigan, and Tennessee, where it operates as a limited liability partnership. Learn more about Sokolove Law at www.sokolovelaw.com

For more information contact:Teleia Farrell Sokolove Law # 781-489-7867tfarrell(at)sokolovelaw(dot)com